Home ›› 13 Nov 2021 ›› Sport
The ongoing T20 World Cup in UAE produced two mind-boggling semi-finals where New Zealand and Australia managed to hold their nerves and steal a couple of thrillers to seal a place in the final over England and Pakistan.
The riveting matches were full of nerve-wracking moments, the balance shifting like a pendulum on a thin thread, and some excellent displays from individuals that left a mark in the tournament’s history.
The Business Post looks at five moments from the semi-finals, which will be hard to forget over the next few years.
Wade finds form just in time
Matthew Wade had been struggling with the bat for quite some time now. Before Thursday, Wade had scored only 261 runs in 20 matches in 2021. But he found form right in time as he scored 41 off just 17 deliveries to take Australia home and his three sixes against Shaheen Shah Afridi to seal the game was a sight to behold.
With Australia needing 18 off nine deliveries, Wade went on his knees and scooped Shaheen’s yorker, a delivery clocking over 140 kph, for a six over fine leg. The next delivery, the Aussie batsman picked Shaheen’s cutter and smashed it over cow corner. And in the final delivery of the match, Wade produced another scoop to finish the tie and seal Australia’s second T20 World Cup final.
After the match, Wade said they did not target Shaheen, but it worked out in their favour. He said, “We certainly didn’t go into the game targeting (Shaheen). He’s a terrific bowler, and I just got lucky tonight, I suppose.”
Rizwan masterclass after ICU stay
Mohammad Rizwan top-scored for Pakistan with a brilliant knock of 67 against Australia despite spending two days in a hospital intensive care unit due to a chest infection.
“Mohammad Rizwan developed a severe chest infection on November 9th after which he was admitted to the hospital. He spent two nights in the ICU recovering,” Pakistan’s team doctor Najeeb Somroo said.
“He made an incredible recovery and was deemed fit before the match. We can see his great determination and tenacity that shows his spirit of performing for the country. And we can see how he performed today (Thursday).”
Rizwan, in his 52-ball knock, hit three fours and four sixes, and then went on to keep wickets during the Australia innings.
Warner refuses review
Chasing 177, David Warner was Australia’s driving force in the first half of the innings. In the first delivery of the 11th over, the left-handed batter was given out caught behind off Shadab Khan, and Warner walked without reviewing.
But replays suggested there was clear daylight between bat and ball, and Ultraedge also showed no edges.
Wade, in the post-match press conference, said that Glenn Maxwell, who was at the other end, heard something, and that is why Warner did not review the decision.
“He didn’t think that he hit it. But I think Glenn at the other end heard the noise. To be fair, the bat was out there. That was the only thing maybe it could have been. He was potentially thinking that he might have hit it.
“It’s tough in those situations, how many times you see a batter think they haven’t hit it and they have. So you need a little bit of reassurance from the other end I suppose.
“Hopefully something that doesn’t happen in the next match. But we’ve just got to work it out. The thing is you get two in these formats. We should have used it,” Wade said.
Mitchell’s display of true sportsmanship
In the first semi-final between New Zealand and England, Blackcaps opener Daryll Mitchell played an extraordinary knock of 72 off 47 deliveries to take New Zealand to their first T20 World Cup final.
Besides his brilliant power-hitting on the day, Mitchell also displayed some true sportsmanship in the 18th over of the game.
With Adil Rashid bowling, James Neesham hit it straight and was off for a single. But Mitchell got in the way of Rashid, leading to the English leg-spinner not being able to stop the ball.
As he obstructed Rashid, Mitchell refused the single despite his team requiring 34 off 18 deliveries, a situation where every run is crucial.
After the match, Mitchell said that he felt it was his fault and thus declined the run.
“I felt I probably got in the way of Rashid a little bit and didn’t want to be that guy that caused a bit of controversy. We all play the game in good spirit, just felt like that was probably my fault. Lucky that it didn’t make a difference,” he said.
Déjà vu!
In the 2019 World Cup final between England and New Zealand, Trent Boult took a catch of Ben Stokes at long-on but stepped on the boundary, converting it into a six.
Stokes went on to drag the game to a Super Over, where the Blackcaps lost on boundary count.
In the first semi-final on Wednesday, a similar incident happened when Jonny Bairstow took a brilliant catch of Neesham at long-on, but before he could send the ball back within the field of play, his knee touched the rope and six runs were awarded. Neesham scored 27 off 11 deliveries before getting out, a crucial knock leading to New Zealand’s victory.
And it looked like it came full circle for New Zealand, not just the result, but also the details.
